Communications of the ACM
Quantum Satellite Links Extend More Than 1,000 Kilometers
A space-based, virtually unhackable quantum Internet may be one step closer to reality due to satellite experiments that linked ground stations more than 1,000 kilometers apart, a new study finds.
Credit: Zhu Jin
A study by researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China suggests that a space-based quantum Internet may be one step closer to realization thanks to satellite experiments that connected ground stations 1,120 kilometers (695 miles) apart.
In 2017, the scientists used the Micius satellite to link terrestrial sites separated by up to about 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) via photon entanglement.
More recently, they engineered entanglement-based quantum cryptography, boosting the collection efficiency of the links up to fourfold.
The researchers enhanced the systems used to acquire, orient toward, and track targets at both satellite and ground stations, while also upgrading the receiving and collection efficiencies of lenses and other optical equipment on the ground.
The university’s Jian-Wei Pan said, "We demonstrated ... that the security is ensured even if the satellite is controlled by an adversary."
From IEEE Spectrum
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Abstracts Copyright © 2020 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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